In an informal "bragging rights" contest, I'm going to appeal to the readers
he

I'm looking for the neighborhood in North America with the highest
concentration of different taps in a short distance--say, staggering or
pubcrawling distance.

Distance/size: Call it 1/4 mile by 1/2 mile or thereabouts, not six miles
of one roadway or "Manhattan".

We are looking for the biggest reasonably consistent *variety of drafts*.
Quality or diversity is not the issue, only quantity. Duplication of
popular drafts (Guinness, Miller, Bass, etc.) permitted between
establishments, but don't count towards the final total. Brewpubs or micro
outlets/"tied houses" count as well. We don't happen to be looking for
bottles or retail outlets, but if someone can make a convincing case that
the bar with 50 taps and 550 bottles impacts the whole neighborhood, I'm
willing to listen.

My assumption is that the winner will be a neighborhood that hosts both: 1)
one of the big taphouses of the nation and 2) a hell of a lot of competition
surrounding it.

Opening nomination: Fells Point, Baltimore. Home to Max's Taphouse
(averages 65 or so drafts at any given moment, plus two beer engines), two
"brewpub" outlets serving eight to 12 exclusive beers each (Wharf Rat and
DuClaw Brewing), and several bars with 10-25 taps each. A fair guess--to be
confirmed with a clipboard later this week--is that the neighborhood is
pouring around 125 different beers on tap at any given moment, and that
number *could* be as high as 150.

Another possibility: The 7th St. NW/MCI Center neighborhood of Washington,
DC, home to RFD Washington (the tap version of the Brickskeller, 50+ taps),
District Chop House brewpub, Gordon Biersch brewpub, and a variety of other
bars--though I doubt the total would extend well over 100, depending on how
one defines "the neighborhood".

The knowledgeable beer geeks I have spoken to seem to think that the winner
will either be Fells Point or some neighborhood in Portland, Oregon.


Nominations?

Alexander D. Mitchell IV wrote:
In an informal "bragging rights" contest, I'm going to appeal to the readers
he
[...]
Opening nomination: Fells Point, Baltimore. Home to Max's Taphouse
(averages 65 or so drafts at any given moment, plus two beer engines), two
"brewpub" outlets serving eight to 12 exclusive beers each (Wharf Rat and
DuClaw Brewing), and several bars with 10-25 taps each. A fair guess--to be
confirmed with a clipboard later this week--is that the neighborhood is
pouring around 125 different beers on tap at any given moment, and that
number *could* be as high as 150.

Nominations?

A mega-tap establishment like The Yard House in Long Beach
would qualify. Scott K. can chime in with a more exact count,
but I recall something like 250 taps (a few of the more popular,
such as Guinness and Budweiser, are duplicate). I don't know
if the also do bottles, or if there's anything else nearby that
could add to the total.
--
Joel Plutchak "So you would say the beheadings are
excessive but not the dismemberment?"
- from a discussion of the movie "Sin City"

Alexander D. Mitchell IV ) wrote:
: In an informal "bragging rights" contest, I'm going to appeal to the readers
: he
:
: I'm looking for the neighborhood in North America with the highest
: concentration of different taps in a short distance--say, staggering or
: pubcrawling distance.
:
: Nominations?
:

Newport Beach, CA. Goat Hill Tavern has about 120 taps and there's a
Yard's right across the street with about 50 more.

I'd be amazed also if someone doesn't nominate the "East Market" area pf
Philadephia. When I moved 8 years ago it was growing pretty steadily.
What ever happened to Chris from Khyber Pass and that whole "Beer
Philadelphia" crew??

--
Bill

reply to sirwill1 AT same domain as above

Well downtown Denver near Blake street has got Falling Rock maybe 50+
taps, Sandlot, Breckenridge, Wynkoop, Brasserie Rouge, Flying Dog, and
the Denver Chop House + numerous smallish bars all within the range you
describe. Great for variety, don't know about the actual count unless
you factor in the GABF in the nearby Civic Center ;-)

_Randal

Bill Benzel wrote:

Alexander D. Mitchell IV ) wrote:
: In an informal "bragging rights" contest, I'm going to appeal to the readers
: he
:
: I'm looking for the neighborhood in North America with the highest
: concentration of different taps in a short distance--say, staggering or
: pubcrawling distance.
:
: Nominations?

Newport Beach, CA. Goat Hill Tavern has about 120 taps and there's a
Yard's right across the street with about 50 more.

Downtown Bellevue, WA might come close. The Taphouse Grill has 160
taps; the Rock Bottom next door has its usual range, something like six
or seven house-brewed beers. If keep range to within, say, a half-mile,
there's another sports bar not far away that has something like 15 taps.

Seattle's Fremont neighborhood has several multi-tap pubs within an easy
walk of each other; one has 45 taps, another 30, and so on, and there's
a brewpub there, too. I don't know if their combined tap-beer count is
more than Baltimore's Fells Point, though. Might be pretty close.
--
dgs

Bill Benzel wrote:

Alexander D. Mitchell IV ) wrote:
: In an informal "bragging rights" contest, I'm going to appeal to the readers
: he
:
: I'm looking for the neighborhood in North America with the highest
: concentration of different taps in a short distance--say, staggering or
: pubcrawling distance.
:
: Nominations?

Newport Beach, CA. Goat Hill Tavern has about 120 taps and there's a
Yard's right across the street with about 50 more.

Downtown Bellevue, WA might come close. The Taphouse Grill has 160
taps; the Rock Bottom next door has its usual range, something like six
or seven house-brewed beers. If keep range to within, say, a half-mile,
there's another sports bar not far away that has something like 15 taps.

Seattle's Fremont neighborhood has several multi-tap pubs within an easy
walk of each other; one has 45 taps, another 30, and so on, and there's
a brewpub there, too. I don't know if their combined tap-beer count is
more than Baltimore's Fells Point, though. Might be pretty close.
--
dgs

"Joel" wrote in message
...

A mega-tap establishment like The Yard House in Long Beach
would qualify. Scott K. can chime in with a more exact count,
but I recall something like 250 taps (a few of the more popular,
such as Guinness and Budweiser, are duplicate). I don't know
if the also do bottles, or if there's anything else nearby that
could add to the total.

This is my new 'hood, so I'm still couting. Yard House has an enormous
amount of taps, with actually a good portion of them devoted to pretty good
beers. There's a good-not-great Rock Bottom up the street, and a handful of
other downtown pubs have several taps, some of which actually included
decent beers.


-Steve

"Joel" wrote in message
...

A mega-tap establishment like The Yard House in Long Beach
would qualify. Scott K. can chime in with a more exact count,
but I recall something like 250 taps (a few of the more popular,
such as Guinness and Budweiser, are duplicate). I don't know
if the also do bottles, or if there's anything else nearby that
could add to the total.

This is my new 'hood, so I'm still couting. Yard House has an enormous
amount of taps, with actually a good portion of them devoted to pretty good
beers. There's a good-not-great Rock Bottom up the street, and a handful of
other downtown pubs have several taps, some of which actually included
decent beers.


-Steve

"Bill Benzel" wrote in message
...

Newport Beach, CA. Goat Hill Tavern has about 120 taps and there's a
Yard's right across the street with about 50 more.

Costa Mesa, actually. And Yard House has something in the neighborhood of a
couple hundred taps. Or did you mean 50 more than Goat Hill?

-Steve

East market should definitely be looked at. There is a place called Ludwig's
that has more than 34 taps, including 6 hacker pschoor including
(weisenbock), 6 paulander, and 4 schneider including (aventius weisenbock).
The place is surrounded by other ethnic bars which all serve their own
unique beers plus nodding head brewery not to far down the street. Someone
with more experience drinking down there could probably give you more info.
You could probably find another 30 bars within a 1/2 mile of radius.


"Bill Benzel" wrote in message
...
Alexander D. Mitchell IV ) wrote:
: In an informal "bragging rights" contest, I'm going to appeal to the
readers
: he
:
: I'm looking for the neighborhood in North America with the highest
: concentration of different taps in a short distance--say, staggering or
: pubcrawling distance.
:
: Nominations?
:

Newport Beach, CA. Goat Hill Tavern has about 120 taps and there's a
Yard's right across the street with about 50 more.

I'd be amazed also if someone doesn't nominate the "East Market" area pf
Philadephia. When I moved 8 years ago it was growing pretty steadily.
What ever happened to Chris from Khyber Pass and that whole "Beer
Philadelphia" crew??

--
Bill

reply to sirwill1 AT same domain as above

STEPHEN JACKSON ) wrote:
:
: This is my new 'hood, so I'm still couting. Yard House has an enormous
: amount of taps, with actually a good portion of them devoted to pretty good
: beers. There's a good-not-great Rock Bottom up the street, and a handful of
: other downtown pubs have several taps, some of which actually included
: decent beers.
:

Also check out Belmont Brewing, right on the beach in Belmont Shores and a
fair BJs down on 2nd. St. which is a neat area for food and drink.

There's a decent bottle selection at a little place called Wine Country up
near the Airport in an industrial park -- I think it's on N. Redondo and,
of course, you're only nalf an hour or so from High Time Liquores down in
Costa Mesa.

That's a great new 'hood to explore -- enjoy it.


--
Bill
AT DOT
reply to bbenzel adelphia net

STEPHEN JACKSON ) wrote:
:
: This is my new 'hood, so I'm still couting. Yard House has an enormous
: amount of taps, with actually a good portion of them devoted to pretty good
: beers. There's a good-not-great Rock Bottom up the street, and a handful of
: other downtown pubs have several taps, some of which actually included
: decent beers.
:

Also check out Belmont Brewing, right on the beach in Belmont Shores and a
fair BJs down on 2nd. St. which is a neat area for food and drink.

There's a decent bottle selection at a little place called Wine Country up
near the Airport in an industrial park -- I think it's on N. Redondo and,
of course, you're only nalf an hour or so from High Time Liquores down in
Costa Mesa.

That's a great new 'hood to explore -- enjoy it.


--
Bill
AT DOT
reply to bbenzel adelphia net

STEPHEN JACKSON ) wrote:
: "Bill Benzel" wrote in message
: ...
:
: Newport Beach, CA. Goat Hill Tavern has about 120 taps and there's a
: Yard's right across the street with about 50 more.
:
: Costa Mesa, actually. And Yard House has something in the neighborhood of a
: couple hundred taps. Or did you mean 50 more than Goat Hill?
:

I meant 50 more than Goat Hill.


--
Bill
AT DOT
reply to bbenzel adelphia net

STEPHEN JACKSON ) wrote:
: "Bill Benzel" wrote in message
: ...
:
: Newport Beach, CA. Goat Hill Tavern has about 120 taps and there's a
: Yard's right across the street with about 50 more.
:
: Costa Mesa, actually. And Yard House has something in the neighborhood of a
: couple hundred taps. Or did you mean 50 more than Goat Hill?
:

I meant 50 more than Goat Hill.


--
Bill
AT DOT
reply to bbenzel adelphia net

"Bill Benzel" wrote in message
...
STEPHEN JACKSON ) wrote:
:
: This is my new 'hood, so I'm still couting. Yard House has an enormous
: amount of taps, with actually a good portion of them devoted to pretty
good
: beers. There's a good-not-great Rock Bottom up the street, and a handful
of
: other downtown pubs have several taps, some of which actually included
: decent beers.
:

Also check out Belmont Brewing, right on the beach in Belmont Shores and a
fair BJs down on 2nd. St. which is a neat area for food and drink.

Both fine places, but not really close to downtown, and not a lot of taps at
either.


There's a decent bottle selection at a little place called Wine Country up
near the Airport in an industrial park -- I think it's on N. Redondo and,
of course, you're only nalf an hour or so from High Time Liquores down in
Costa Mesa.

Hi Times, of course, I know about and was there many times when I lived in
OC. Wasn't aware of Wine Country; I'll have to check it out (and thanks for
the recommendation). So far, I've been doing the bottle shopping at Morry's
of Naples.


That's a great new 'hood to explore -- enjoy it.

Definitely am so far.

-Steve